The Trailblazer

  Left Tooth : The left tooth belongs to the lemon shark. Lemon sharks have slender, needle-like teeth that are perfect for catching slippery fish, their primary food source. The teeth are sharply pointed, straight, and narrow, which helps them pierce and hold onto their prey. They may also be curved slightly inward to aid in this process. Lemon shark teeth are typically smooth along the edges without any serration because they're designed more for grasping rather than cutting or tearing. Middle Tooth : The middle tooth belongs to the tiger shark. Tiger sharks are known for their unique, serrated teeth that function almost like a saw. These teeth are highly distinctive with sharp, serrated edges and a curved shape that enables them to take big, chunky bites! These teeth, combined with the tiger shark's powerful bite, make them one of the ocean's top predators! Right Teeth : The teeth on the right belong to the bonnethead shark. Bonnethead sharks have a combination of teeth ...

Hello, young explorers of Hillsborough County! This month, we're going to dive deep into the fantastic world of sharks and discover more about their most famous features: their teeth! Image by  Malcolm Lidbury:   3.0 Unported license Sharks have a tooth-tally awesome feature - they can have up to 3,000 teeth at one time! What's even more incredible is that unlike us, when a shark loses a tooth, it simply grows a new one. This results in an ongoing cycle of tooth loss and regrowth, leading to shark teeth washing up along the shore! Shark teeth can sometimes be very small! Image from  Rare Finds :  Attribution 2.0 Generic Here in Tampa Bay, our waters are home to many different species of sharks. The warm summer months bring baby sharks, also known as pups, into our bay, where they are protected from larger predators in deeper Gulf waters. This makes our beloved E.G. Simmons Conservation Park , Apollo Beach Nature Preserve , and Upper Tampa Bay Conservation Park ideal...

World Ranger Day is an annual event observed on July 31st to pay homage to the invaluable efforts and sacrifices made by rangers worldwide in safeguarding our natural heritage. This significant day seeks to raise awareness about the critical role these individuals play in preserving and protecting our biodiversity, wildlife, and precious ecosystems. Whether it’s in your backyard here in Hillsborough County, or across the world in Tanzania, rangers are an integral part in protecting some of the world's most precious wildlife, landscapes, and cultural sites.  Two CELM staff members walking down a trail In Hillsborough County, we have two different roles to celebrate on World Ranger Day. Park Rangers are found in our Conservation Parks and Environmental Technicians serve   our Nature Preserves. These jobs perform similar work, with some overlapping jobs and  specialty tasks dividing the two, and should be equally praised for their work conserving Hillsborough’s natural res...

Behind the scenes of every park, trail, or public space lies the work of dedicated public servants. One such exemplary individual is Chris Postiglione, CELM's Parks and Preserves Planning and Development Manager. Chris may be new to the department, but he certainly isn't new to Hillsborough County. In over 30 years of dedicated service, he has honed his craft of developing county assets.  Chris started his career at Mid-State Engineering and Paragon Cable Engineering, developing utility maps and site layout designs. His love for the outdoors coupled with his desire to connect with others led him to Hillsborough County, serving the Public Works and Parks Departments. His diverse workload of projects has allowed him to manage the construction of breakwaters, channel dredging, trail building, sports complexes, and fair grounds  As the Planning and Development Manager for CELM, Chris recognizes that our parks and preserves are beautiful natural resource assets. As these spaces rec...

   An Eastern Bluebird in winter plumage, eating the bright red berries of a Weeping Holly tree. Image by Ken Thomas. When picturing the native greenery of Florida, you’re mind may gravitate towards the exotic marsh rattlesnake master, the omnipresent palmetto, or the increasingly elusive Tampa Verbina. Rarely, do we consider the modest "dwarf" Yaupon holly, which lines our neighborhood sidewalks. This humble shrub is not only native to Florida, but it's also a naturally caffeinated plant with a rich history tied to traditional tea preparation. Hedge of Yaupon Holly by Jim Robbins CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 Yaupon holly exhibits a wide diversity in its growth habits and leaf characteristics, with varieties ranging from small trees to dense shrubs. One particularly unique type is the weeping Yaupon holly (Pendula), a variety that grows into an umbrella-shaped spectacle, adorned with vibrant red berries. The historical significance of the Yaupon holly stretches back thousands of years...

   As you ascend the mound path, slender red dragonflies buzz around tall stalks of muhly grass; the shell path underfoot is peppered with bright red and yellow blossoms of Gaillardia and Dune sunflowers, and you tread carefully to avoid crushing them. Upon reaching the summit, you see cabbage palms, winding ponds, and mangroves stretching out into the distance. Only the Tampa skyline, punctuating the horizon, serves as a reminder that you haven't traveled back through time. However, you are, in fact, standing in the heart of what was once a barren mining operation and fallow agricultural land, painstakingly transformed over decades into the  Cockroach Bay Nature Preserve through a collaborative restoration project. Downtown Tampa is visible on the horizon.   Situated in the sleepy southern town of Ruskin, Hillsborough County, Cockroach Bay has borne witness to some of the most significant cultural conflicts in American history and serves a vital existential purpose...

Florida is known for its unique geological history, which has made it a prime location for discovering and studying fossils. A fossil is the preserved remains or the impression of animals and plants that lived a very long time ago.  Fossils are not exactly the remains of the animal or plant itself- they are rocks! Bones, shells, feathers, and leaves can all become fossils. As a peninsula state surrounded by water, Florida has mostly been underwater for millions of years, resulting in the preservation of various marine creatures that existed during different geologic epochs. The state’s most famous fossils include dugongs, dire wolves, mammoths, horses, and giant land tortoises that date back to the Pleistocene period, which ended about 10,000 years ago. Most fossils are formed when a plant or animal dies and is rapidly buried in mud and silt. The soft parts of the plants and animals break down leaving the hard bones or shells behind. Over time, small particles called sediment b...